Sheet-feeding mechanism



F. S. STERNAD SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM mumpnn m ffw, aka

I Jim/5772275 Patented Jan. 1, 1929.

carves STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK S. STERNAD, OF'AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE B. F. GOODRICHCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SHEET-FEEDING MECHANISM.

Application filed September 24, 1927. Serial No. 221,826.

This invention relates to sheet feeding means suitable, for example, forremoving cut strips of fabric from bias cutters, and especially verticalbias cutters of the traveling knife type, such as are used for obliquelycutting a Web of fabric into strips for use in the building of pneumatictires.

l/Vhen the fabric is heavily rubberized 1t has frequently happened thatthe cut str p has so adhered to the residue of the strlp after passageof the knife, the out edges closing together and healing behind theknlfe, that it has been necessary to have workmen stand in readiness todislodge the cut strips by hand. j

The chief objects of my invention are to provide a bias cutter includingtake-off means adapted automatically, positively and accurately towithdraw the cut strips fromthe residue of fabric and cause them to passregularly onto conveyor means adapted to carry U them away in regularorder.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a vertical bias cutter embodying my inventionin its preferred form.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of F g. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of F g. 1. s

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4 of F g. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is here shown embodied in avertical bias cutter 10 which in general is of a construction well knownin the art, being provided with the usual presser bar 11, presser-barguide 12, traveling knife 13 and knife-guiding'm em bers 14, 15, andadapted to cut obliquely into bias strips-a web of fabric 16.

The machine also comprises a set of inclined endless belts 17, 17adapted to receive the cut strips and carry them away from the machine,the belts 17 being mounted upon respective sheaves 18, 18 which arejournaled upon brackets 19, 19 secured at spaced intervals upon asupporting cured in a pair of supporting brackets 21, 21 projecting fromthe machine frame.

My improvements include a presser plate 22 mounted in position for thesuccessive cut strips to overlie its front face as the strips are cut.The plate 22 is mounted parallel with the knife-guiding members 14, 15and is adapted to slide on the forward face of the member 15, in adirection at right angles to its length and to the path of the knife.

- 43 of the machine.

sive cutting operations, the plate at each end.

is connected by an adjustable link 29 with a lever, 30 or 31, keyed upona shaft 32 which is journaledin the bar 20, the latter being hollow. Thelever 31 has a rearwardly extending arm which is connected by a pullspring 33 with the base of the machine frame to urge the plate 22 towardthe path of the knife 13, and for periodically moving the plate 22 inthe opposite direction the shaft 32 has secured thereon an arm34provided with a series of attachment apertures 35, 35 for a cable 36having connection through a turnbuckle 37 (Figs. 1 and 2) with a camlever 38 provided with a series of attachment apertures 39, 39, thelever 38 being fulcrumed upon the machine frame at 40 and provided witha cam roller 41 on its rear arm adapted to coact with a cam 42 securedupon a shaft Thus the construction is such that the plate 22, with theout strip of fabric lying against its forward face, will i be moved awayfrom the line of cut immediately after each cutting operation, and thenreturned to a position close to the line of cut to receive the nextstrip of fabric.

- In order to press the fabric strip against the plate 22 and compel itto move downward therewith, aseries of plungers 44, 44 are telescopedupon respective guide bars such as the bar 45 (Fig. 4) and each plungeris urged toward an extended position with relation to its guide bar by acompression spring 46 mounted within the plunger and bearing bar 20which is sewhich are held against the lower side of the presser-barguide 12 by retaining plates such as the plate 53, 53 (Figs. 3 and 5)and are rigidly connected to the presser bar 11, to

be moved backward and forward therewith, by means of bars 54, 54 andbrackets 55, 55, to press the plungers 44 yieldingly against the fabricstrip overlying the plate 22and to withdraw them therefrom.

To turn the shaft 50 in proper timed relation to cause'the plungers 44to move downward with the plate 22 while pressing the fabric against theplate, a lever 56 is secured uponthe shaft50 and is provided withaseriestion to deflect the fabric strips so as to cause them to pass smoothlyand in spread condition onto the set of endless belts 17.

In the operation of the device the plate 22 is in its uppermost positionand receives the leading end of the fabric web on its forward face asthe web is fed downward past the cutting line. In the forward movementof the presser bar 11 into engagement with the fabric, to press thelatter against the knifeguiding and fabric-backing members 14, 15, theshaft 50 is moved forward by reason of its connection, through the bars54 and brack-v ets 5,5 with the presser bar, which brings the plungers44 yieldingly into engagement at their outer ends with the fabricoverlying the plate 22 so that the fabric to be severed from the web isgripped between the plate 22 and the plungers 44. As soon as the knife13 has completed the cut, the cam 42 acts through the cable 86 to pullthe plate 22 downward and also through the cable 58 to rotate the shaftand thus swing the plungplate 61 onto the set of endless belts 17 Thepassage of the cam 42 from under the roller 41 then permits the spring33to return the plate 22 to its uppermost position and at the same timepermits the spring 60 to rotate the shaft 50 counter-clockwise as viewedin Figs. 3 and 5 and thus to return the plungers 44 to their uppermostpositions, this cycle of operations being repeated in the continuousoperation of the machine.

Modifications are possible within the scope of my invention as definedin the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Sheet feeding means comprising a reciprocating gripper member adaptedto engage one face of the sheet and mounted to slide therewith in thefeeding movement and an oscillatory gripper member pivotally mounted toengage the opposite face of the sheetand to move therewith about itspivot in the feeding movement.

2. Sheet feeding apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which theoscillatory gripper member is mounted to slide, with relation to itspivot, from and toward the reciprocating gripper member.

3. Sheet feeding apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which yielding meansis interposed between the oscillatory gripper member and its pivotalmounting to cause the said member to bear yieldingly against the sheet.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 22nd day ofSeptember, 1927.

FRANK S. STERNAD.

